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while working it was amazing, And well with the low price of £25

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Introduction * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

My family's favourite meal has to be beef casserole, especially in the winter, my fiance works long hours and with my boys attending school and nursery im normally doing my household duties or corset work in the day time so im a big fan of things that can help make cooking easier....plus i cant cook! We love to eat healthy and try to buy as little frozen food as possible, which means we eat a lot of fresh meats. I lost my last slow cooker during a house move so my mum brought me this for Christmas 2012, so I've been using it for just over a year.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Features * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

*3.5 litre pot*Toughened glass lid*3 cooking temperatures

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Morphy Richards 48710 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

My slow cooker is probably one of my most used kitchen appliances, we use it for curries, casseroles, hot pots etc. So when my mum asked what I wanted for Christmas I suggested the slow cooker, as long as the slow cooker did the job i didnt really have any requirements, except it to be a well known brand as I find that these tend to last longer. Sitting on my sideboard the slow cooker sits at 7 inchs high and 13 inches in length. The slow cooker is stainless steel so has a slight reflective look to it. At each side is a black handle so that you are not touching the hot part. At the centre of the slow cooker is a black control panel, on it you will see 'Morphy Richards' in silver, along with a red light which lights up with the slow cooker is on, you can also see a dial and 3 temperatures, which are 'Off, High, Low and med'. On the dial there is a little indent which means its easy to grip when twisting it, and a indent so you can see what temperature you are selecting. The base is black and displays 'Caution Hot Surface'. The removable ceramic pot is black and hold 3.5 litres. The glass lid is toughened safety glass and is clear so that you can check on the cooking process without having to remove the lid. The Lid has a black handle for easy removal.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * In Use * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

I first tested out our slow cooker with our most loved beef casserole and was not disappointed! I have a 2 year old so I like to cook things for slightly longer than normal so that the meat is easier for him to chew, especially beef. So i put the beef casserole on at around 10am, i didnt plan to serve it until 5pm when my fiancé, got home from work but realistically it was ready to be served at around 2pm, I wanted the meat a little softer and it was too early for dinner anyway so I continued to warm the food on the hot setting for another few hours, come 5pm the whole casserole was mouthwateringly soft, I didnt even need to cut it up for my youngest.

I have also used the slow cooker for curries, and now it is the only way I will ever cook a curry! Normally my fiance would use the pan for a curry but using the slow cooker the spices and herbs really blend into the meat and you can definitely taste a difference, with a curry I do not need to cook it for as long as the chicken is already pretty soft, so id say 4 hours.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * My Thoughts * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

With how much I use my slow cooker I was thrilled to receive it, as I said above, my only real requirement was that it was a well known brand, sadly that didnt mean anything this time but I shall first mention the positives.

I was amazed at how well it cooked the food, with my old slow cooker I would have to leave things on all day for them to be remotely anywhere near soft or cooked, which isnt always ideal, this cooked things in a great amount of time on the high heat setting without drying the food out or losing any of the juices. The food (especially the meat) melted from the bone and was suculant and full of flavor and didnt even need cutting, naturally the food shrunk in size while cooking but to a perfect size which means it was easy to eat right away, all i had to do was dish the doof up.

We are a family of 4 and it easily feeds 4 of us, should we have an extra person over then yes we would need a bigger size but for 4 of us it suits us perfectly, if my children required adult sized portions then again we would need a bigger pot. You may also want a larger size if you cooking things such as soups in bulk.

The various temperatures is also ideal as i can adjust these with ease, i normally only use the hot setting but with the curry i tend to switch it down the low setting after 4 hours. We use our slow cooker on a weekly basis, probally twice a week id say and it makes life so much easier, my friend uses her hob to cook a casserole, and shes forever topping it up with water which loses the flavour. We have used the low setting for the whole day and found it was not quite powerful enough, the meat was still quite tough so we now stick to the high setting and use the low setting once its already cooked just to keep it warm.

The slow cooker also contains the heat very well, we can turn it off once our food is cooked and it will still keep the food nice and warm for quite a while afterwards which is ideal if my boys eat earlier then my fiancé and I.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Any Negatives? * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

While i love my slow cooker, i did have a few negatives which now make it unusable so I am back on the hunt for a new slow cooker, other than the 2 negatives I am very pleased with it so may stick with the same brand.

The control panel has come away from the main unit. Meaning you can see wires behind the control panel, the slow cooker is just over a year old and is used twice a week but is stored in the cupboard when not in use so its not like ive been heavy handed or dropped it, from reading reviews mine seems to be the only one it has happened to so maybe just 1 faulty slow cooker

One of the handles has also come off on the right hand side, leaving just a tiny bit of plastic poking out, which makes it impossible to pick up when its hot.

Both points i have mentioned makes the slow cooker unusable, sadly i dont think my mum has the proof of purchase any more or i would be taing it back for a replacement.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Overall Thoughts * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

I love the slow cooker, but sadly the 2 points mean i cannot use it, as said above, from what i have read it seems its just my slow cooker so i feel bad knocking stars off, but really it should last longer than a year, especially as it is always stored safely when not in use.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Price And Availability * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

At the time of reviewing this slow cooker it is on sale on Amazon reduced from £25 to £21.97 so not a massive saving but while it worked I felt the £25 was a fantastic price, and well worth the money.

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Paving the way for a masterchef!

*The purchase*

I bought this from Tesco around a year ago for the price of around £25 - I see that the same product is still available, although now for a few pounds less which is to be expected I suppose! At the time I felt this was bargain!

This is a 3 litre Morphy Richards slow cooker - although I see that there are varying different sizes available. In my experience this one is probably just a little bit too small for a family of four (the 3.5 litre is possibly a little better in size for families) - but perfect for a couple or a single person.

*The product*

There are 3 compartments to this slow cooker.....The glass lid (so you can peek in whilst your food is cooking)The baseThe ceramic pot (which is removable from the base)Assemble is very easy and you just put the ceramic pot on the base - it slots in very easily and easy to also remove for washing. After putting your food in the pot you just then and switch on your chosen speed of cooking (after plugging in of course)!

*The use*

There are handles on the side which are non-heat conducting which means that you don't have to wear oven gloves when handling the cooker. You do need to be careful if you do move the cooker during use however as it does get hot around the sides, and also the ceramic pot inside does tend to weigh the cooker down and makes it heavier than it looks!

I have only used my slow cooker for making stews and curries, although you can (if you're brave enough) use it for making cakes. In my experience of cooking stews and curries I have found that in terms of the cooking speeds I have found that cooking on high speed takes around 6 hours, cooking on medium speed takes approximately 8 hours and cooking on low takes around 10 hours.

The results too have been fantastic. I really am not much of a cook but have found that by just chucking some vegetables and meat in the pot with some salt, pepper and spice (and sometimes some wine) gives great results. I tend to use the slow cook option more - and will leave it on overnight or when in work (obviously I would be careful if leaving this unattended just in case there is an electric fault - although I have never experienced this). Meat is tender, vegetables are soft (but not overcooked) and flavour is great! Yum!

*Negatives?*

Whilst the pot is really easy to clean, it is not dishwasher safe which is a shame (you can't have everything though eh)!

Also I have found that the cable is very short, which is annoying in my kitchen as I don't have many plug sockets. This can be easily resolved with the use of an extension cable though.

Although this slow cooker is available in a variety of different colours the one I have is in stainless steel and thus gets very dirty very easily, especially when I put my grubby mitts on it.

*Recommended*

Absolutely! Why? Because its...Easy to assembleEasy to useEasy to clean

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A great slow cooker

Morphy Richards 48710 Accents 3 Litre Slow cooker

*** The backstory ***

I decided to buy a slow cooker after I saw how regularly my sister used hers. I really liked the idea of spending a few minutes at the beginning of the day to ensure that the evening meal is as hassle-free as possible.

I purchased this slow cooker with my air miles nearly four years ago. I chose this particular item because it was a brand name that I was familiar with, it seemed to have the right capacity for my little family, and I had more than enough "miles" with which to buy it. I see it is currently available through www.amazon.co.uk for £17 (September 2013).

*** This item ***

This slow cooker has a capacity of 3 litres. It comprises three main parts: a lightweight, stainless steel outer shell housing, a removable ceramic receptacle similar to a casserole dish, and a heat resistant glass lid.

The outer shell is sturdy with non-slip feet and an electric flex that is a decent length. This outer part has the control panel, which actually just comprises of a single temperature control knob. There are three options: low, medium and high. It comes with a very useful book that I believe everyone should read prior to embarking on cooking in the slow style.

*** My experience and thoughts ***

This is a smart-looking kitchen appliance that is heavy enough to be robust but light enough to easily manoeuvre in and out of the cupboard where it is stored.

My first cooking experience with this was an absolute disaster. I had placed all the items for a chicken-based Chinese-style dish into the cooker, switched it on, and then proceeded to remove the lid every 30-60 minutes for hours. The food was inedible.

This situation highlights just how inexperienced I was, and that I needed to do a little research.......including reading the cooker's accompanying cook book! Once I had done this, I discovered that my food was much nicer - more than edible - when I pre-heated the cooker before adding the ingredients, and if I didn't open the lid for at least 3.5 hours.There are many cookbooks for slow cooking. I tend to find recipes in the one that came with this appliance, as well as using several different websites.

We mainly use this slow cooker at weekends, when we are out and about as a family for most of the day and can then come home to an easy meal. Our favourite meals cooked in this cooker tend to be curries and chili con carne. Thankfully there have been no more disasters (yet??) and we continue to use this on a regular basis.

One very useful tip I came across is this:

1. Double the ingredients you would normally need, divide into two portions, cook one as usual and place the other uncooked portion into the fridge. 2. Once you have cooked the first batch, simply wash the removable ceramic part and let it cool. 3. Then take the uncooked ingredients out of the fridge, place them into the cooled ceramic dish, wrap this in a carrier back and place the whole lot into the freezer. 4. Once frozen, remove the food from the dish and keep in the freezer until required.5. When you are ready to cook the block of frozen raw food, remove it from the freezer and place into the COLD slow cooker.6. Only when the food "ice block" is actually in the ceramic container should you switch the cooker on.

Finally, where there is cooking there is cleaning. As the inner bowl is both ceramic and removable, it is very easy to clean; it's practically wipe-clean. I usually hand wash it, however my husband prefers to place it in the dishwasher. Both methods work fine. The lid is slightly more difficult to clean - mainly around the trimmed edges, so we always hand wash it.

*** Final thoughts ***

I am very happy with this slow cooker. It comes highly recommended for small families. Larger families - or those with big appetites - would be best served by a cooker with an increased capacity.

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If you need a slow cooker, then this is a great choice.

We have one of these in the kitchen but have really only used it on a couple of occasions. This is not because it is not good or anything of that nature, it is simply because we do not really know what to cook in it - other appliances seem to be far better and more convenient than a slow cooker. The main thing we tend to use it for is stews as it can easily cook them without burning like other methods do.

The build of the slow cooker is great. A sturdy stainless steel outer casing matches out kitchen well and also makes the appliance look as high quality as it is. The removable glass lid on top features a heat resistance handle to protect hands from the heat and a metal rim to prevent the glass shattering if knocked. On the sides of the cooker, there are also handles to make it easy to lift and move even when switched on. The simple knob interface makes setting the temperatures a breeze. There are non-slip feet at the bottom of the cooker to prevent the contents of the slow cooker slipping out onto the work surface, floor or cat.

We generally keep this on for about 6 hours when cooking a stew and it appears to be pretty energy efficient, assuming we do not keep opening the lid, as the energy bills didn't seem to rise considerably from using it.

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This is a very good family slow cooker

WHAT IS IT?

A slow cooker made by Morphy Richards. It has got a 3 1/2 litre capacity and that is the right size for a family slow cooker.

THE DESIGN

The slow cooker is stainless steel on the outside and it has got a roomy crock pot inside where you put your food to cook. The lid is glass with a heat proof knob on the top and the lid is framed with a metal ring to stop it from being damaged when you remove it and put it back onto the slow cooker. There is a large knob on the front and this is what you use to set the slow cooker temperature. It looks nice and shiny in my kitchen and the design is very simple so that it's easy to work.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

When you have decided what you want to cook you just put all the ingredients into the slow cooker, switch it on and leave it for 8 or more hours to cook. You can take the lid off to stir the food but you shouldn't do that very often because it then takes a long time for the slow cooker to heat back up to the best temperature for cooking. The most common thing to cook in a slow cooker is stew using beef or chicken but I cook curry, goulash dishes and other recipes for meals that have a sauce.

WHAT I THINK

I have used a lot of slow cookers because I like changing the small appliances in my kitchen regularly but now I have got this stainless steel one I think I will keep it because it looks smart and it works very well. I use a slow cooker because I own my own business and I have to fit meal preparation around when I am visiting clients and looking after my children with all of their activities. I like that I can put everything in the slow cooker in the morning and it will be cooked by the time I get home. I also like to use it even if I am staying in because I do like the smell of slowly cooking food.

Everything I have cooked in this slow cooker has come out as a very tasty and healthy meal. It gets hot quick and then you need to watch because the stainless steel part and the glass lid gets very hot indeed. The lid doesn't steam up very much so you can see the food cooking without having to remove the lid. That is good because my old slow cooker steamed up that much that I could not see inside.

It is easy to clean because you just have to lift the crock pot out. The pot washes quick and even if the food has stuck a bit on the sides it doesn't need soaking and you just have to use a dish brush to remove it. You shouldn't soak it for long anyway because the pot can soak up water and that can damage it over time. The stainless steel part doesn't come into contact with the food but if you drip any onto it you just have to wipe it and it'll come off.

5 Dooyoo Stars.

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Great looking! Top quality! My best buy this year!

What a great buy! This Morphy Richards slow cooker has proved to be a godsend, good looking, easy to clean, and light enough to store out of the way when not in use. I liked the time saving ability of slow cookers and researched the Web for the best within a reasonable price range. Morphy Richards was the stand out product for me; quality brand name and a surprisingly low price!A great looking product with a smart finish, it has .three 'cooking time' options and easy to understand instruction booklet. It is so easy to use and the simple recipes provided give you a great guide to get you started. The ceramic pot is very easy to clean and any spillages are wipeable from the main metal finish of the cooker. It is a great feeling coming home from work and smelling a fully cooked ready to eat meal! (and minimal washing up!). All in all the best appliance i have bought this year, thank you Morphy Richards.

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Too good to be true, great price and cooks extremely well, you'll use it more than you think.

I deliberated over buying one of these for year and thought 'what's the point when I can achieve the same outcome when cooking on my range which I spent a small fortune on.' So one Christmas I bought this slow cooker for my 80 yr old mother, in the hope that she would use it a lot. Oh boy I was wrong. I still remained in the box the following Christmas until I'd asked Mum if I could try it out for a party. All I simply wanted to do was to slow cook a chicken curry and not have to worry about it in the oven casserole dish.

THE SPEC:

It has a massive 3 and a half litre capacity, low, medium and high settings, toughened glass lid which is great at retaining the heat. The removable ceramic pot is easy to lift out and pop into the dishwasher if necessary.

OPERATION:It's easy to use, simply pop all of your ingredients into the pot and turn the centre dial to low, medium or high. When I cook a curry or casserole I always stick it on low as that way you can guarantee that your meat is nice and tender. I'd say that you can easily provide a meal for upto 7 or 8 people or for a minimum of 2. If you have an excess food you can of course freeze it.

I had to have a chuckle as one of my male friends tried cooking pasta in his slow cooker over night. The results were hilarious and I still remember the picture that he took of it to this very day. I wont be trying this.

We have a caravan and always take the slow cooker with us, it's an invaluable bit of kit and I'm glad to say that since I borrowed it that Christmas Mum has told that I should have it, so it's been sitting on my worktop ever since, and probably gets used about 4 or 5 times per month. Thanks Mum! Well worth the money I paid for it, and I'd recommend getting a good recipe book for slow cookers.

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Brilliant slow cooker and would recommend

This product was brought for me and my partner when we moved house as a present. I have used the morphy richards slow cooker many many times and i absolutely love it!!

The actual slow cooker itself has 3 different settings which are low, medium and high and this determines how you cook your food which can be changed at anytime during cooking. The glass lid has a nice handle on top so its easier to take the top when you are ready to serve or if you are giving your food a stir. The capacity for this slow cooker is 3.5 litres and also has non slip feet. The product does come with instructions but it is very easy to use. The only thing i would say is that it does get very hot on the outside so you must be careful.

I literally put my raw meat and raw vegetables in to the slow cooker with gravy and make sure everything is covered and i whack it upto high and leave the food in their to cook for around 3-4 hours, stirring in between and never has it disappointed me, the meat and vegetables always come out nice and soft and the meat never seems to be chewy.

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Great item for famlies on the go!

For a long time I had thought about buying a slow cooker as my sister in law used it all the time to make really big nice and healthy meals for her family.

I bought a cheap one from Asda but it did not seem to cook food as my sisters had (just seemed to stay at the same heat and burn) so bought this MR one and I have owned this one with absolutely no complaints for a few months now. It cooks perfectly every time, is easy to set up and can even be prepped the night before (I find this really helpful as some days both myself and my partner are out from 8-8pm). This machine is small enough to fit in the cupboard or even on the work surface without looking like an eye saw. While the machine is compact it is perfectly sized for cooking a meal for 2 but large enough for family size meals.

You can cook almost anything in this machine and don't have to do anything other than prep and press go! I would suggest that you read the manual fully to help understand how it works it'll also explain how to adapt traditional meals, I bought a slow cooker cook book which was really helpful and found masses of recipe ideas online.

I would recommend this to anyone and everyone!

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A great family of four size slow cooker that means you can get on with your life!

I am a busy single mum with two young girls who seem to go to endless clubs and I have been growing increasingly worried about the junk quick food I have been feeding them. Having heard people rave about slow cookers I finally decided to get one and now wonder how i ever managed without it.

I have never used a slow cooker in my life before and was quite worried it would boil dry and set on fire so did try it out one weekend but now I don't see what I was fussing about. On the mornings that I need it I brown the meat whilst making packed lunches. Then I lterally throw in the rest of the ingredients. I use frozen veg as like I said I don't have the time at the moment to cook from scratch. Although it has three heat settings I tend to put it on low so it can cook whilst we are out. It is great to come in and know that I can just serve it up.

I looked at the smaller slow cookers but they looked like you could not fit much in especially if you were cooking both meat and veg. This size means that I can fill it to the brim or just part way.

The instruction manual does have a few recipes to get you started but there are plenty of ideas on the internet or you can even buy recipe books.

There is plenty of room and it would easily feed a family of four. The pot just lifts out and you could dish up or take this to the dining table. It is therefore easy to keep clean. The only downside is that the side does get warm so I do keep it pushed back away from little fingers!

The colours of silver and black actually match my kitchen so it was an added bonus to me.

I got mine from Argos on offer of £19.99 and have already had my moneys worth and piece of mind that quick junk food is now a treat not a regular thing.

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.

We had thought about getting a Slow Cooker for a while before actually buying 1. My parents raved about theirs and my sister ended up getting 1 as well and all of them kept saying what a good idea they were. We decided to buy 1 as with us working all day, then getting home a little hungry and finding ourselves phoning for a Takeaway then it wasn't the most ideal solution to the problem was it? Also it was proving expensive so we ended up picking this one up from Argos. We paid £28.99 for it.

I never liked the idea of leaving something on all day when the house was unoccupied and I had thoughts about how much power this would use and was it safe and all that, but I had been advised that of course it was safe and not to worry. After all lots of people have these don't they?

Although in the picture this may look pretty large and bulky it isn't too big. It is a decent size to let you cook a good amount of food, but this sits in the corner of the kitchen just fine. I liked the look of this one with the Stainless Steel on the outside and the black sticks out against it well too. Easy to clean as well. From the front you can see inside where the Food is as there is a little glass bit on the front.

On the front you can set this to Low, medium or high temperature. In the book it advises you what to use each temperature for and it is recommended depending on how long you are cooking certain meat for. I use Low Heat mostly myself.

So just pop your Meat, Veg or whatever you want to put in here to cook, put it on and let it do all the work for you. Coming home you get the nice whiff of warm, tasty food, and at least you can tuck into a healthier meal as well.

A great device. Only wished I had purchased one years ago.

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I couldn't live without one now!

I have never owned a slow cooker before, as I the thought of leaving something on all day, cooking my dinner while I am out worried me slightly, what if it spilled over or got too hot? Now that I am more informed about how slow cookers work, and having used it quite a few times while I have been at home, I think I am a little less nervy about the whole situation!

The cooker its self is a nice style, the outside is easily wiped clean if you have any spillages etc. It is rather heavy though, I tend to store mine on top of my eye level kitchen cupboards and it does take a bit of strength to lift it up there. The black and silver goes with everything so the colour choice is a good one, I understand that there are other colours available.

The cooker has three temperature options, low, medium and high. I use the low setting if I am cooking something like lamb or beef, as I feel that this always comes out nice and soft and tender if cooked on a low heat for a long time. It is ideal for cooking stews or casseroles which I find very comforting to come home to on a cold winters night. I find the result is far better than cooking in an oven, and a lot more convenient! I am still getting used to what takes more or less time, and at what heat but I guess this is all part of getting used to a slow cooker! There are many slow cooker books out there that have great recipes and tips on using one.

The inner bowl is made of ceramic; it is fully removable and so very easy to clean. Only a little soak required, if any at all, and it comes straight off. It is also dishwasher safe. The lid is made from toughened glass which prevents heat from escaping through it, and as it is clear glass you can see what's going on in there without having to take the lid off.

It is a good size cooker if you are only going to be cooking for one or two people, but there is also the capacity for cooking for up to four people if you so require, but for the larger families I would say go for the bigger size.

This is a great little cooker, and it definitely helps to have your dinner ready when you get home from a long tiring day at work!!

At the moment Amazon are selling them for around £25 which I think is an excellent price.

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A must have appliance!

The Morphy Richards Slow Cooker is a God send when it come to time saving and being able to prepare a delicious meal. I own one myself but I know at least 2 others who do and we are all very happy with it!

The best thing about This Slow Cooker is how practicle and useable it actually is. Recently, I have cooked Hunters Chicken, Chicken Curry and Beef Stew in it but it has alot more potential!The best aspect is that this particular model offers four accurate settings of heat so it's a bit like a mini oven. I have often left this appliance to do all the work whilst I've been out at work or on lifes adventures and I can ajust the heat depending on the time I know I will be out for.

It cooks meat exceedingly well and locks in flavour when meat or vegetables are cooked in sauces or herbs which is another bonus as often in ovens meat dries out or looses flavour... not with this Slow Cooker!

And the dreaded cleaning, well with the Morphy Richards theres no need to dream the cleaning. The inner pot is glossy and does not contain any awkward corners or grooves in which dirt can get stuck. The outer stainless steel case is also simple... just give it a wipe!

Overall, the Morphy Richards Slow Cooker is a real help in the kitchen of those with busy lives who still enjoy a nice cooked meal and it is definatly worth the money as it has so many uses.

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Product Details

The Morphy Richards 3 litre Slow Cooker is stylish and contemporary in design / The oval shape makes it ideal for joints of meat as well as casseroles curries and chillies.A slow cooker can be left safely cooking while you go about your busy daily routine so you can enjoy freshly cooked meals without being tied to the kitchen / The removable ceramic pot is easy for cleaning and makes an ideal serving dish.Also includes a toughened and insulated glass lid to view cooking without letting heat escape / The 48710 has a working capacity of 2.5 litres. / Morphy Richards 48710 3.5 Litre Oval Slow Cooker / S/Steel / Short name: Morphy Richards 48710